Never Happened
by Ceeg
Summary: Dr Sam Beckett again Leaps into the life of Amanda King


TITLE: Never Happened  
  
BY: Ceeg  
  
SUMMARY: AU, Dr Sam Beckett again leaps into Amanda's life.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Quantum Leap and characters are owned by Bellisarius Productions. Scarecrow and Mrs King and characters are owned by Shoot the Moon Productions. Scenes and lines are borrowed liberally for plot and setting purposes. Please insert here any other appropriate disclaimers.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story takes place for Sam after the two previous leaps into SMK, 'Scarecrow Leap' and 'A Leap for Byron'. It's important to note that when Sam leaps, his body leaps. The people around him see an 'aura' of the person he's supposed to be, the viewers at home see Sam.  
  
THANKS: To Gaylynn for her persistence and feedback.  
  
RATING: PG  
  
  
Part One  
  
Sam Beckett was just beginning to look around the room when Al arrived. It was surprising to say the least to see Al so early on in a leap. Sometimes it would take him hours to show up. Sam hadn't even begun to gather clues to his identity.  
  
"That was quick! I just got here myself." Sam exclaimed.  
  
Al shrugged, he had no control over these things. Often he felt lucky to find Sam at all, and he wasn't going to complain about the times he found him quickly. Rather than responding to Sam's statement, he began to punch buttons on his handlink.  
  
"Ziggy thinks you're here to save Lee Stetson from being murdered at the train station," Al began filling Sam in on the information he was receiving from the project computer.  
  
"Lee Stetson! That's Amanda's partner," Sam was excited at the prospect of again working with Amanda King. "I'll just give her a call."   
  
He picked up the phone and began to punch in the number that Amanda had given him when he was Byron Jordan. Sam had a photographic memory, and felt fortunate that the part holding Amanda's number was not 'Swiss cheesed'. 'Swiss cheese' was the term they used for the missing gaps in Sam's memory which occurred during the process of leaping.  
  
"Sam," Al tried to get his attention. There was more information of which he felt Sam should be aware.  
  
The doorbell rang. Sam peeked through the peephole, then threw the door open enthusiastically. Al understood when he glimpsed the tall brunette standing there.  
  
"Good morning, sweetheart!" Amanda placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a quick kiss.  
  
"Amanda!" Sam put an arm around her waist and drew her into the room, shutting the door behind her. "I was just about to call you."  
  
"Sam..." Al knew Sam wasn't listening to him.  
  
"Really? I'm not late," Amanda started to defend herself. She became aware that he was behaving oddly.  
  
Sam untied the sash of Amanda's coat. Wrapping his arms around her waist, inside the coat, he pulled her close and resumed the kiss she had initiated on the doorstep. What better way was there to start a leap then with a kiss from a beautiful woman like Amanda?  
  
"Sam, she doesn't know you..." Al tried to interrupt, although he always felt his friend didn't 'get enough'.  
  
"Ummm, we're going to be late." Amanda tried to protest, but was beginning to feel a little light-headed. When had he learned to kiss like this? Why did his arms suddenly feel so strong and safe?  
  
"Sam, you haven't met Amanda yet!" Al insisted.  
  
Al's words penetrated Sam's ardor fogged mind. "What?" He stared over Amanda's shoulder in confusion at the hologram.  
  
"It's only October 3, 1983," Al informed him. "Amanda didn't meet you until January 7, 1985."  
  
"She kissed me!" Sam objected.  
  
"Unh-uh," Al disagreed, pointing with his cigar for emphasis. "She kissed 'him'."  
  
Amanda wondered if she was coming down with something. First those kisses, like none before. And now he seemed to be *talking* to somebody else... and there was nobody else in the room.  
  
"Dean!" Amanda drew Sam's attention back to herself. The unfamiliar name was like a bucket of cold water on his fervor. He reluctantly released her, and she readjusted and fastened her coat over the nightgown she was wearing.   
  
"Dean," She repeated, "We have to go, you'll miss your train."  
  
"Um, sure... sorry," Sam muttered. He couldn't believe it, Amanda didn't know him. How could he enjoy kissing her when she thought he was somebody else? "Amanda, I just need a minute." He made a subtle motion to Al, and headed for the bedroom.   
  
"OK, Al, I'm listening." Sam sat heavily on the bed, his head hanging in disappointment.   
  
"Sorry, Sam," Al started regretfully, "I tried to tell you..."  
  
Sam waved off his apologies. "It's not your fault. I was excited to see her again, I didn't listen to you."  
  
Al nodded, "Anyway, your name is Dean McGuire, Amanda is apparently your girlfriend. And she hasn't met Lee Stetson yet either, and isn't going to if you don't get to the train station in a half hour! Ziggy says he's going to be killed at 6:35."  
  
"Amanda! What time is my train?" Sam called back to the other room.  
  
"6:30" was her response. An odd question, she reflected, maybe Dean was coming down with something!  
  
"OK, we better get going, then!" Sam came back into the living room and reached into the closet for a coat.  
  
"Ugh! Sam, you're not going to wear that, are you? You'll look like the front seat of a DeSoto." Al made a disgusted face. He realized Sam didn't have the same fashion sense as himself, but that coat was just too much.  
  
Sam shook his head and exchanged the offensive coat for a neutral colored overcoat. As they walked down the front sidewalk to the station wagon, Amanda held out the keys to him.   
  
"Do you want to drive?"  
  
"No," Sam responded, gazing into her eyes, wishing she would recognize him. "Then I'd have to keep my eyes on the road."  
  
Amanda blushed. Dean didn't usually sound so romantic when he made mushy remarks like that. She wondered how long this 'new Dean' was going to stick around.  
  
Sam walked her around the car to the driver's side, and made sure she was securely seated before he walked back around to the passenger side. He smiled at her obvious agitation. It was apparent to him that Dean didn't pay her enough attention.   
  
Amanda felt a little flustered as she started the car. As she pulled away from the curb, she threw Dean a curious glance. It wasn't that attention from him was unusual, it just felt so different today.   
  
Sam looped an arm around Amanda's waist and allowed her to lead him across the platform. When he started to pass the open door of a train, she placed a hand on his chest to halt his progress.  
  
"Whoa, Dean! Here's your train, you almost walked right past. What is with you this morning?" she questioned.  
  
He smiled meaningfully at her. "I can't imagine." He whispered, pulling her back into his arms. "I'm going to miss you, Amanda." Sam murmured before claiming her lips for another toe-curling kiss.  
  
'Me, too!' Amanda agreed mentally, with some surprise. She waved good-bye and turned away as he climbed aboard.  
  
Sam hopped back off the train on the other side. He glanced over his shoulder, hoping that Amanda didn't see him. A man in a waiter's uniform, carrying a package, brushed past him. Sam caught a quick glimpse of Lee's face before he turned his own attention back on the two goons in pursuit. A swift kick to the jaw felled the first one.  
  
Lee ducked under the train and across the tracks, his eyes frantically scanning the area, looking for a way out of this predicament. There was a tall, brunette walking towards him. He noted that she was quite attractive, in a suburban way. The important thing was that she appeared to be alone and not in a hurry like all the people around her who were racing to catch trains. He made his decision in a split second, grabbing Amanda and spinning her around so that she was walking with him, in the opposite direction.  
  
"Whoa, excuse me!" She tried to pull away from him.  
  
"Just walk with me." He asked.  
  
"I certainly will not!" She refused.  
  
"Please. I'm in trouble." He begged.  
  
"Oh! No. I've got to go!" She resisted.  
  
Amanda pulled away and started to leave. Lee caught her and held her in his arms. The instant their eyes met, he knew that he had made the right decision in choosing her from the crowd.  
  
"Just one moment. Please!" It was suddenly very important to him that this woman, with the deep, dark brown eyes help him out.  
  
"No!"  
  
"I'm in trouble. Please. . . . Please!" He sensed that she was beginning to relent.   
  
"What do you want me to do?" Amanda closed her eyes, briefly shutting out his warm hazel ones. What a day she was having. First, Dean's odd behavior. Now this strange man with the compelling gaze. As soon as she had looked into his eyes, she knew she couldn't refuse to help him.  
  
Lee shoved the package into her hands. "Just take this. Get on the train. It's a matter of life and death!"  
  
"Life and death?" Amanda was skeptical. What was she getting herself into?  
  
"Hand it to a man in a red hat."  
  
"Is this for real?" Amanda asked, 'Maybe I'm still asleep. Home in my bed, sleeping...'  
  
"Just get on the train, hand it to the man in a red hat. You can get off at the next stop and forget all about this, just do it!" Lee rushed off.  
  
Amanda stepped aboard the train, she turned and leaned back out through the open doorway. She gasped as she saw Lee tackled into a luggage cart by two men. If she had turned her head, she would have seen Dean/Sam across the platform, also watching the men catch up to Lee.  
  
Sam was a little bruised and battered. He'd worn the men down and disarmed them. Their guns and knives littered the tracks two rows over. Lee Stetson should be able to hold his own against the goons now. Turning his head, he smiled as he saw Amanda duck back aboard the train. The important thing was he'd kept them distracted until she was safely away from Stetson. As he started in her direction, the blue lightning enveloped him.  
  
When the room re-formed around him, Sam realized he was back in the living room where he'd been this morning. "Oh, boy," he muttered.  
  
  
Part 2, July 1985  
  
Sam looked around the room. Yes, definitely the same room, but different. It was obviously later in the day. He turned on the TV, it was tuned to 'The Weather Channel'. The date was on the screen, July of 1985, almost 2 years later than this morning.  
  
Sam tried to recall what Al had told him about his earlier leaps into Amanda King's life. The first one was in January of 1985, and then again in May of 1985. Amanda would surely recognize him this time. He picked up the phone to call her.   
  
After getting the answering machine, he realized that talking to her on the phone wouldn't do any good. She would only recognize him in person. He went into Dean's bedroom to look for an address book.   
  
************  
  
Lee Stetson pulled his Corvette to a stop by the curb in front of Amanda King's house.   
  
"Dean?!?" He exclaimed, recognizing the man waiting on her front sidewalk. "What's he doing here?"  
  
"I have no idea," Amanda responded from the passenger seat. "I haven't seen him in months!"  
  
"I know," Lee muttered, getting out of the car. He came around the front and opened Amanda's door for her. "Do you want me to stick around?" he asked, as he assisted her from the car.  
  
"No, that's OK," Amanda reassured him with a pat on the arm. "It's Dean." She suddenly realized that Lee, too, had recognized her visitor. That was odd, she didn't think Lee had ever seen Dean. And why would he think that she would need him to stay?  
  
Lee closed her door and returned to the driver's seat, but didn't start the car. He watched as Amanda went over to Dean.   
  
Dean/Sam smiled at her approach, glanced briefly over her shoulder at the car, but then refocused his attention on her. "Amanda, I need to talk to you." As he gazed into her eyes, he was delighted to see recognition dawning.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" she squealed happily, flinging her arms around his neck. He picked her up and spun her around. "Sam, is it really you?" she whispered.  
  
"Amanda," he breathed, inhaling her fragrance.  
  
Lee saw the contentment in the other man's face as he held Amanda in his arms. He released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as the hug broke up. His next breath was hard to find as Amanda took Dean's hand and led him into the house.   
  
****  
  
As Amanda closed the door behind them, Sam again took her into his arms and began to kiss her. He had restrained himself outside out of deference to Lee and any on-looking neighbors. It hadn't been easy.  
  
Amanda did not resist. As the kiss continued, she felt herself responding. As she began to respond a corner of her memory began to nag at her. She pulled back and stared at Sam.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" she whispered. "That was you!" It wasn't a question.  
  
"What was?" Sam's thoughts were still occupied.  
  
"That morning... when I took Dean to the train station. The morning I met Lee. I thought he was acting oddly, but it was you."  
  
"Yeah, it was." Sam had no reason to feel guilty. He hadn't done anything to trick her. But he still felt like he had lied. On the other hand, he was delighted that she recognized him after all.  
  
"What did you do?" Amanda was curious. Sam traveled through time, putting things right that once went wrong. What had originally gone wrong that day?  
  
"Oh, um, there were a couple of guys following Lee. I slowed them down." He downplayed his role. He had just been doing his job, he didn't want gratitude from Amanda. She giggled. "What?" he asked.  
  
"Lee never liked Dean. It's just funny to think 'Dean' helped him that day!" Amanda was amused thinking off all the off-hand remarks Lee had made about Dean, none flattering. Of course, it hadn't been Dean who helped him, but if they had met, he wouldn't have known that.  
  
Sam chuckled. "Looks like we have a lot of catching up to do. I'd like to know what happened that day. Why don't we go get some dinner?"  
  
"Sounds good, I'll just go change." She pulled herself from Sam's embrace and started to head for the stairs.   
  
"Wait!" He headed her off. Cradling her face in his hands, he recaptured her lips for a lingering kiss. Her hand rested on his forearm. "Don't be long," he whispered as he released her.  
  
****  
  
After their drinks were served, Amanda continued to give Sam an overview of the case on which she first met Lee. "We've come a long way since the day he tried to ditch me at the Jefferson Memorial." She sighed.   
  
Sam nodded in agreement. The Lee Stetson she first met was pretty different from the one Al told him about when he took his place on the cruise, the one he met when he was Byron Jordan, and the one he'd seen dropping Amanda off earlier today. It was hard to picture the guy trying to avoid working with Amanda, it was obvious he now accepted her place in his life and even welcomed her company.  
  
When he was Byron Jordan, she had told him about the rest of the case with the cruise. Now he wondered what had happened after he left a couple of months ago. "What happened with Byron Jordan?"  
  
"Nothing much really," Amanda replied. "The case was pretty much settled, with the capture of Tucker, when you left. I worked a few hours a week for Byron for about a month, helping him clean up the mess left by Tucker and finding an assistant for him. Lee helped me get my job back with the Agency, with a raise even."  
  
The waiter returned with the dinner. They suspended conversation until he left.   
  
"Enough about me. What are you doing here?" She asked.  
  
"I'm having dinner with you!" Sam grinned at her. At her stern look, he continued. "I don't really know. One minute I was watching you get on the train, the next I was back at your boyfriend's house."  
  
"Ex-boyfriend, actually. Dean and I broke up over a year ago." Amanda interrupted. "I'm glad Mother and the boys weren't home while you were waiting for me. I'd have a hard time explaining that. Of course, I knew they weren't home, Lee wouldn't have been able to drop me off right in front if they were!"  
  
Sam nodded, processing the information with what he already knew of her. "Al appeared briefly, but he didn't 'come in' very well. It was like when your TV picture is out of focus, he was all... 'fuzzy'. From what I can tell, they're having some trouble with Ziggy."  
  
"Are you stuck here?" She wanted to know.  
  
"No," he shook his head. "Al and Ziggy are only my contacts with the project, they give me information to help me adjust to my present situation. But we're not in control of the leaps. Somehow 'He' will get me in the position to do what is needed, then I'll be on my way." Sam pointed up, referring to God/time/whatever, as they called the phenomenon which seemed to be in charge of leaping Sam around.  
  
"I hope I don't have too much trouble explaining myself to Dean when he comes back!" Amanda observed ruefully.  
  
Sam took her hand. "Let's not think about that right now. Hopefully, they'll get Ziggy up and running again soon, and Al will be able to give me some information. Then we'll have a better idea of what's going on."  
  
"You're right," Amanda shrugged. "There's nothing we can do. We might as well enjoy ourselves. Can we go dancing after dinner?" she asked, remembering from the cruise what a wonderful dancer he was.  
  
"As you wish," was Sam's response.  
  
****  
  
It was almost four when Lee walked up to Amanda's desk the next afternoon. They hadn't talked to or seen each other much all day, busy with paperwork and meetings. He had left her house after she and Dean went in. What else could he do?  
  
"Amanda," he began, "I have a thing at the Russian Embassy tonight. I'll pick you up at 8, OK?" He didn't realize that he wasn't even asking.  
  
"I can't, I have plans." Amanda protested. At his blank look, she continued. "You know, you never ask me. Next time could you please give me some warning?"  
  
"Sorry," he muttered. "Can't you get out of it?"  
  
"I don't want to," she insisted. "Lee, you're not even listening to me."  
  
"Oh..." A knot formed in Lee's stomach as he realized what she was saying. She had a date with Dean. "I can't believe you're seeing that guy again, Amanda. Aren't you the one who told me 'When it's over, it's over'?"  
  
"It's different," Amanda looked down, refusing to meet his gaze. She felt bad lying to Lee, but how could she tell him that the guy he thought was Dean was actually a time-traveling physicist from the future? She found the concept a little hard to deal with, but she really liked Sam. "He's changed."  
  
Lee snorted. "For how long?" He asked derisively.  
  
"I don't know." Amanda answered quietly. It was something to think about, but she didn't want to. She really didn't know how long Sam would be here, Dean's return was inevitable.  
  
Lee was instantly contrite, she sounded so sad. "Amanda, I'm sorry. I just..." he hesitated, unsure of what he wanted to say. "Just be careful." He finished softly.   
  
Amanda smiled at him. "I'm sorry about tonight. Next time, OK?" He nodded and walked away.  
  
****  
  
Lee wandered aimlessly at the reception. He had already made his first round of security checks, he'd drive his staff nuts if he checked in with them again so soon. He sipped his drink, feeling at loose ends without Amanda by his side. Then he smiled as he spotted the slender brunette.  
  
"Amanda!" he put a hand on her shoulder as he came up behind her. Good ol' Amanda, she hadn't let him down after all.  
  
"Sorry, no," The woman smiled at him.   
  
"Excuse me... I'm sorry." Lee backed away embarrassed. She wasn't Amanda, she was shorter, a little younger, not as pretty...  
  
"No problem, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Leslie." She handed him her card, ignoring his lack of interest and the fact that she didn't know his name. "The number for my hotel room is on the back."   
  
He took the card, out of habit, and retreated. Looking around for an escape, he spotted Francine. "Francine, can you take over here? I just remembered something I have to take care of."   
  
"Sure, no problem," Francine called after the retreating figure. He did look a little green. She wondered what he'd been eating, she wanted to avoid it.  
  
****  
  
Sam and Amanda lounged together on Dean's sofa in front of the TV. His arm was around her, and she rested her head against his shoulder, her hand on his chest.  
  
They were watching an old movie on cable and sharing popcorn. Earlier, they had sent out for pizza. It really wasn't anything special, nothing she couldn't have cancelled to accompany Lee to the Embassy party. But she'd been to umpteen parties with Lee, they weren't very special either, and her time with Sam was limited.   
  
"Sam, I think I'm beginning to see *you*," Amanda commented, lifting her head and looking at him. "Is that possible?"  
  
"It's pretty rare. I know that animals and small children can see *me*. They can see me and Al. Also people with brain wave patterns similar to my own." Sam explained. "I don't know what's happening here, but the fact that you were able to recognize me previously, in my eyes, indicated a connection. We assumed that the connection was because you knew Lee well enough to know I wasn't him, but maybe there's more to it than that." The explanation was probably not as technically accurate as it could be, but between the 'Swiss cheese' and the hormones, it was the best he could do.  
  
"Whatever it is, I like it!" Amanda proclaimed.   
  
"Thank you," Sam pulled her close and kissed her, appreciating the apparent compliment.  
  
Amanda blushed. "I didn't exactly mean it that way... I mean, I like what I see, but it's been weird talking to you and seeing Dean. Definitely weird hanging around with Dean the past couple of days."  
  
"What do you see?"  
  
"You don't know what you look like?!?" Amanda was puzzled.  
  
"Just what I remember. When I look at myself, I see myself. For instance, I see my hand." Sam held up his hand and looked at it. "But when I look in a mirror, I see the person I'm supposed to be."  
  
"Well, brownish hair, with a streak of white right here," Amanda reached up and brushed Sam's hair where it turned to silver. "Do you know you have a black eye?" she exclaimed.  
  
"Oh," he touched his face. "A little souvenir from yesterday morning. At the train station."  
  
"But that was almost two years ago!"  
  
He shook his head. "For me, it was just yesterday. Almost a year passed between the time I leaped into Lee and then Byron. And then between Byron and Dean, yesterday, was only about a month. For me. Does that make sense?"  
  
Now it was Amanda's turn to shake her head. "Not really," she chuckled. "For me, the train station happened *way* before the cruise. Time travel sure is confusing!"  
  
"You don't have to tell me!" Sam was rueful. "I barely meet somebody, and then I move on. It's a stroke of luck for me that I keep leaping into your boyfriends!"  
  
"Not boyfriends!" Amanda denied, counting Sam's leaps off on her fingers. "Lee is my friend, Byron I had just met. Dean was my boyfriend, but not anymore. Wow, four times."  
  
"If you say so, Amanda," Sam relented. He had feelings of his own for Amanda, now, but he knew that first time it had been residual from his host. Meaning, despite Amanda's protests, Lee had some feelings for her even then.   
  
"Anyway..." She sighed. Pulling herself out of Sam's embrace, she stood up and stretched. "I have to get going. It's late and we have work tomorrow."  
  
Sam stood up, too. "I wish you could stay." He stated, stroking her face.   
  
"Sam, it's too risky," She answered regretfully. "If I thought about it, I would remember that every minute I spend with you is risky." Placing a hand on the back of his neck, she brushed her lips against his, then slowly trailed her fingers down his neck and to the 'v' of his shirt, brushing through the visible chest hair. She turned towards the door, stomping down the thoughts of the day when Dean would return to replace Sam.  
  
******  
  
Lee was loitering by Amanda's desk the next morning when the phone rang. He picked it up.   
  
"IFF"  
  
"Is Amanda King there?" the man on the other end of the line asked.  
  
"No, she's not at her desk right now. Can I take a message?" Lee inquired politely.  
  
"Lee? Hi, it's ... Dean. Look, maybe you can help me. Can you recommend a good restaurant? You know, for a special dinner?"  
  
Lee was caught off guard by being greeted so familiarly by Amanda's boyfriend. "Ciccarelli's is nice." He responded without even thinking.  
  
"Great! Sounds good. Tell Amanda I called. Thanks, Lee!"   
  
Lee was stunned. He had been talking to *Dean*. He had recommended a romantic restaurant to *Dean*. What did the guy have in mind, anyway? He hung up the phone and scribbled a barely legible message for Amanda.  
  
As he returned to his own desk, Lee decided that a surveillance mission was in order. He would just show up at the same restaurant with a date of his own, Amanda would never suspect a thing. Who to ask? He remembered the brunette from the Embassy party last night. Digging through his wallet, he found her card.   
  
He crumpled it and threw it in the trash. The last thing he needed was to show up with somebody who resembled Amanda!   
  
*****  
  
Meanwhile, Amanda was in Billy's office. She turned on the TV to watch Sam do Dean's weather forecast. None of Sam's degrees were in Meteorology, but he had taken some courses and knew enough to cover. When Sam came on, he winked at the camera, a wink Amanda knew was meant for her. As he began to point out jet streams and warm fronts, though, something strange happened. A blue glow began to envelop him.  
  
"Oh, no!" Amanda wasn't sure what was going on, but she had a bad feeling about this. When the blue had faded from the screen, a very confused looking Dean had replaced Sam. Amanda fainted.  
  
Hearing the crash in Billy's office, Lee came running. The anchorman on TV was reporting that there was a technical difficulty with the 'Weather Desk' and that they would be returning to the weather in a minute. Lee helped Amanda up off the floor.  
  
"What did you do, Sam?" She murmured, "What did you do?"  
  
"Amanda! What happened?" Lee asked with concern.  
  
"I don't know, I was just watching the weather, and suddenly I felt dizzy." She reported shakily. When she was seated, he poured her a glass of water.  
  
"Did anything... strange just happen?" Amanda asked.  
  
"Not really," Lee shrugged. "You fainted, but you know that. And, oh yeah, Dean called a few minutes ago. I left a message on your desk."   
  
"That can't be it... anything else?" she persisted.  
  
"Umm, no." Lee had no idea what Amanda was trying to get at. She couldn't know about him throwing away the other woman's phone number. And would she care?  
  
Amanda smiled, realizing there was something Lee didn't want her to know. She turned her attention back to the television, where the weather forecast had resumed, Dean apparently having recovered his composure since the leap back in.  
  
"That guy should work in radio, his appearance detracts from his personality!" Lee observed derisively. He couldn't believe this loser on TV was the same guy he just spoke to on the phone.   
  
"Oh, Lee, you shouldn't be so hard on Dean." She patted Lee's hand absently as she continued to watch Dean. It was too bad she hadn't had a chance to say good-bye to Sam, but had been lucky to not be there when Dean returned. It was easier this way.  
  
"Why not?" Lee challenged.  
  
Amanda smiled. She turned her attention to Lee. "Do you remember how I said, when it's over, you know it's over?"  
  
"Yeah." Lee nodded, he had a feeling he liked the way this was going.  
  
"It's over!" She whispered like she was imparting some great secret. Amanda smiled, then reached over to adjust the knot in Lee's tie.  
  
Lee grinned. "Does this mean you're free for dinner?" he asked impulsively. "You know, steak, a bottle of wine, maybe a potato on the side... no shop talk..." he continued, trying to sound casual.  
  
"Sounds good," Amanda agreed, smiling.  
  
"Good," Lee took her hand and they stood up. "Looks like perfect weather for a walk, too."   
  
'Poor Dean.' He thought as she turned off the TV, and they left Billy's office.  
  
The end  
  
  



End file.
